Advice
by darkcyan
Summary: Natsume comes to Natori for relationship advice. It goes ... about as well as one would expect.


For Asexual Awareness Week 2015.

Takes place in the same universe as "Truth" and "Contentment".

Contains spoilers through volume 12.

# # # Advice # # #

Natori Shuuichi had read about half of the newspaper and just started his third cup of tea when the intercom buzzed.

He sighed. By objective standards it was not too early to deal with this, but he'd been up late on an assignment the night before. And he _liked_ having the occasional lazy Sunday morning.

(Early afternoon. Whatever.)

The intercom buzzed again.

Persistent, weren't they?

He shoved a script out of the way, put down his tea and newspaper, picked up a ward that he could use as a counter-spell in a pinch, and walked over. "Yes?"

"Finally." The voice was exasperated, female, oddly familiar, and not trying to curse him. (Yet.) Shuuichi frowned. Who was she? And how did she know this address? "You deal with this. I give up!"

"Sensei!"

 _Natsume?_

#

"I'm really sorry about this," Natsume said. He perched in the middle of the couch, as though afraid it would bite him if he leaned back too far. (Which, well. Shuuichi had seen before. But not in _his_ home.)

His companion, on the other hand, sprawled across about a seat and a half of space in what seemed to be an intentionally unladylike fashion, and glared at Natsume whenever he twitched.

Reiko, he'd – she'd? – called the form, and in this calmer environment there was no missing her resemblance to Natsume. Shuuichi wondered, not for the first time, just what sort of relationship the beast youkai had with Natsume. Or with his family.

"It's no trouble," Shuuichi said. He emerged from behind the kitchen counter, an additional cup of cooler-than-it-probably-should-be tea in each hand. (He counted having enough clean cups in the first place as a minor victory.) "I've told you before that you're welcome to visit anytime, haven't I?"

He regarded the paper-strewn table for a moment, then used a forearm to push just enough out of the way to set down the tea. He sat on shorter section of the couch, picked his own tea back up, and leaned back. "Is there something you'd like my help with, Natsume?"

Natsume glared briefly at his companion, but seemed unwilling to meet Shuuichi's eyes. "It's nothing," he muttered into his cup.

"Don't you have any snacks?" the youkai-turned-girl demanded, giving the tea a disdainful look.

Shuuichi suspected that if he hadn't brought the tea out, he'd have been complained at about that, instead. Natsume must have the patience of a saint. "I'm afraid I'm all out at the moment," he said, smiling blandly.

"I come all this way and I don't even get snacks as thanks?"

"It's not like it was _my_ idea to come here!" Natsume glanced quickly, apologetically, at Shuuichi.

He waved the apology off, too intrigued by the revelation. "Is there something I can do for _you_ , Mr. Kitty?" Remembering certain parts of their encounter in Omibashira's mansion, he turned his smile up a notch and bowed in his seat. "I would hate to leave such a beautiful lady in distress."

A full-body shudder wracked the youkai's borrowed form. Shuuichi tried not to smirk too obviously.

But surprisingly, he didn't immediately kick up even more of a fuss; instead he kicked Natsume with one sock-clad foot and said, "So say something, or I will."

Shuuichi wondered if this was why Natsume's companion had taken human form: to use Natsume's reluctance to make a scene against him. He smiled gently. "Whatever it is, you don't have to tell me if you'd rather not."

Even if restraining his curiosity was … difficult, to say the least.

Natsume smiled hesitantly back. "It's not that. I don't want to be a both –"

His companion growled, momentarily sounding more like his beast form than anything else. "This idiot has a cru –"

Natsume _lunged_ , covering his mouth before he could say anything else.

Shuuichi had heard enough, though. "You've come to me for advice on a matter of the heart?"

He should probably tone down his sparkling, given just how disgruntled Natsume looked.

"It wasn't my idea," he said.

His companion batted the hand away from his mouth. "Well, you certainly weren't doing anything _else_ about it. And listening to you whine was getting boring."

"I wasn't whining!"

Clearly they'd get nowhere at this rate. "Is it the lovely Taki, who I still have not had the opportunity to meet?" Shuuichi asked. He wracked his brain, trying to remember if Natsume had mentioned any other girls his age.

He _hoped_ she was his age. And human.

"I _don't like Taki!_ " Natsume almost shouted. Stopped, face flaming. "Like that."

Perhaps that had been a bit too far. He forgot, sometimes, how sensitive he'd been at fifteen. And he'd heard enough of his classmates talking to know that who liked whom was a more sensitive topic than most.

(There were some experiences he didn't particular miss not having gone through. There were benefits to not having had any close friends to quiz him on interests that he also didn't have.)

Yet – it also seemed to have broken the stalemate, because Natsume continued haltingly, "How do you know? Whether you like someone or not, I mean."

His companion made a scoffing noise.

"Well, your heart beats faster when they're around." Practically every drama Shuuichi had either seen or acted in had made a point of mentioning that. "You think about them and miss them when they're not there. When they are, you're happier just because you're in their presence. You want to be close to them emotionally and … physically."

"Okay!" Natsume yelped. "That's. Enough for now. I think."

Amused, Shuuichi sat back and watched in silence as Natsume clearly struggled to regain his composure.

"What if you're not sure? How physically … close, you want to be?" he asked his sock-clad feet, clutching his cup so hard it was a wonder it didn't crack.

"You might be asexual," Shuuichi said. "… Or you may just not have everything figured out yet."

"Doesn't asexual mean I wouldn't be interested in, well, anyone?"

Shuuichi made a considering gesture. "For some people, yes. For some, it just means that they're not interested in sex. There's a pretty broad spectrum." Even what little reading he'd done had made that much clear.

"Huh." He looked up. "And if I think I want to? Figure it out? What should I do?"

Shuuichi drained the last of his tea to buy time. "You could try giving her flowers," he suggested. That always seemed to work for the romantic leads he played. "And compliment her. Perhaps 'But they pale in comparison to your beauty'."

"… Okay." Natsume looked unreasonably skeptical. He looked into his cup, then set it down. "I'll give it a try?"

At the door, he paused and turned back. "Natori-san? Thanks."

Shuuichi smiled. "Good luck."

A pity it hadn't been a youkai problem. He knew how to deal with those.

#

"He thought I'd been possessed by a youkai again!"

Shuuichi made careful note of that 'again'. Also of the pronoun. And the fact that the target of Natsume's affections knew he could see youkai. Which made the pool of candidates – at least as far as he knew – very small indeed.

He finished setting out the tea – he'd cleaned the coffee table off this time, in case of a return visit – and sat down. "Did you explain that you weren't?"

Natsume shook his head. "I … couldn't. It was too embarrassing."

And being possessed wasn't?

Shuuichi held his tea cup, letting the warmth stop through his fingers as he thought. "You could try shoving him up against the wall. Or looming over him intimidatingly?"

That was one potential part he'd politely declined.

"Why would I do that?" Natsume asked, aghast.

"Apparently some guys are into that sort of thing?" Anyone who tried to do that to Shuuichi would find themselves subject to a judo throw. If they were lucky. But he'd long since come to terms with the fact that his reactions often did not align terribly well with societal expectations.

"I'm not." Natsume said firmly. "And I don't think Ta – he is, either." He looked down, turning his teacup in slow circles. "He's probably not interested in me at all."

Shuuichi had his doubts, having seen first-hand how hard the boy had exerted himself on Natsume's behalf. He had no doubt Natsume was very important to Tanuma-kun.

Whether that importance was or could become romantic in nature ... "You won't know until you try."

Certainly _he_ could only recognize that sort of thing when it was scripted.

"But how?" Natsume asked. "– I'm _not_ going to shove him against a wall."

"Pity," his companion said around a mouthful of shrimp chips, as he waddled back out of the kitchen. (Shuuichi knew he should have hidden those better.) "That would have been hilarious."

"You're not helping, Sensei."

The cat-like youkai looked up just so he could roll his eyes. "Well, _you're_ being boring, and he's useless _and_ doesn't have any good snacks."

"Forgive me for not being sufficiently gourmet for your tastes," Shuuichi said dryly. "– That's a thought. You could bring a homemade lunch for him?"

Natsume brightened briefly, but shook his head. "Touko-san would be so hurt if I said I wanted to make my own lunch."

Shuuichi wondered what it was like, to care what your family thought.

"If you explained the situation to her –" Natsume shook his head vigorously. "Or just mentioned that you were interested in learning to cook?"

Surely at least some of the homemade bento that came up in stories so often had been made with help.

"I could try that," Natsume said. "After all, I –" he stopped, looking suddenly sad.

Shuuichi waited.

"What was it like, moving into an apartment of your own?"

"A huge relief," Shuuichi said honestly. He'd have done it years earlier, if he could have.

Natsume nodded, expression still complex. "I'll give it a try," he said, and stood. "Sorry, I shouldn't keep taking up your time like this."

"It's no trouble at all," Shuuichi said. "Good luck."

Natsume smiled. "Thanks."

#

Natsume stared into the depths of his cup like they held the answers to all of life's riddles. He'd been here long enough to drink it almost dry, and hadn't said anything since he greeted Shuuichi at the door. Several times he'd opened his mouth as though to say something, paused, and closed it again.

Shuuichi sipped at his own tea, and tried to look receptive instead of curious.

"Touko-san let me help make the bento, an extra-large one," Natsume finally said. "We ate it together, and he said it was delicious." He smiled like he couldn't help it.

"But?"

"Then he insisted on bringing in food to share in return. He apologized because some of it was store bought, but with his dad away so much –"

"So you ate lunch together twice this week?"

Natsume shook his head. "Every day," he said. "Nishimura and Kitamoto ate with us on Thursday, though."

"That sounds like great progress," Shuuichi said.

Natsume ducked his head. "I've been really enjoying it," he admitted to his feet. "But … what if he thinks it's just a friend thing? Especially since he's bringing food to share too –" he shook his head. "How do you _know_?"

"Why not ask?" Shuuichi said. "You could try to guess, based on how he acts when you two are alone. But that usually seems to just lead to hilarious misunderstandings."

"… I think there've been enough of those already," Natsume said, smiling wryly. "But what if he doesn't – what if it makes him uncomfortable around me? I would never want to do that."

"Do you really think that would happen?" Shuuichi asked. "He already knows you can see youkai. If that hasn't frightened him away, I doubt anything would."

Natsume looked suddenly sick. "… Would youkai go after him more? If we did … get together?"

"If you two moved in together, then eventually, over the course of many years, they'd start seeing you as family to each other," Shuuichi said. "But not immediately. Although of course, the more time you spend together, the more likely he is to get caught in the crossfire simply by being there."

Natsume froze.

"But that's true regardless," Shuuichi said gently. "It's a risk you have to take."

"Because it's worth it." Natsume said quietly, more to himself than to Shuuichi. He met Shuuichi's gaze. "This is another of those things that you threw away, isn't it? Do you ever regret it?"

Anyone else – _anyone_ else – and Shuuichi would have shrugged the question off.

(But then, he never would have said what he said to Natsume, as he watched him fall to pieces and felt a bit like he was falling apart himself, to anyone else to begin with.)

"Not being romantically involved with anyone?" Shuuichi asked. "No, not really. It's not something I've ever had an interest in. … Though I won't deny that I also find it more convenient."

"Does that mean you're … aromantic?" Natsume said the unfamiliar word hesitantly. Shuuichi must have looked surprised, because he continued shyly, "I looked it up, that word you mentioned. 'Asexual'. I don't – I think I might be demisexual? But I'm not sure."

Shuuichi smiled. "You have time to figure it out."

Natsume nodded. "… I'm glad," he said. "That you're happy the way you are." He smiled wryly. "Sorry I keep bugging you with my problems. You probably wish I'd just go away and figure them out on my own."

Surely, Shuuichi thought, he should be beyond needing validation for his identity by now. But he couldn't help but feel warmed by Natsume's words, anyway.

"I'm happy to be of help to you, Natsume," Shuuichi said. "Regardless of whether it has anything to do with youkai. … Though I must admit I am rather more out of my element, with this."

Natsume flashed a grin. "I'll ask you about youkai next time," he said.

Shuuichi laughed. "You are always welcome here, regardless."

"I … know," Natsume said, the almost-surprise in his voice making something in Shuuichi ache sharply. "You know you're welcome to come visit me anytime, too?"

Shuuichi doubted that. Their viewpoints were still a little bit too different, and he had no particular desire to wear out his welcome.

"… When you're not working?" Natsume added, looking sheepish.

Shuuichi laughed again. _That_ he felt, was closer to a truth they both could accept. "Maybe I will, sometime."

#

Shuuichi was in the middle of staring at a pair of exorcism requests he'd received, wondering if he'd have the time – or, honestly, the energy – to do them both in the next week, given his current filming schedule, when the phone rang.

"I was wondering if you'd be around on Sunday?" Natsume asked.

Shuuichi wondered what was different, this time, that he'd felt the need to call ahead. "I will," he said. "You're welcome to come visit."

Like he would have ever said anything else.

"… Would it be all right if I brought someone with me?"

Shuuichi suspected he knew exactly who Natsume meant. "Of course."

#

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Tanuma-kun," Shuuichi said, as the black-haired teenager stepped into his apartment and looked around.

"Oh, um. It's good to see you again, too," he said. "Sorry for barging in on you like this."

"Not at all. Please, have a seat. I just finished making tea."

"With snacks this time, _right_?"

Shuuichi looked down at Natsume's companion. "Alas, I once again seem to be out."

" _Seriously_? Why must I be surrounded by incompetents?!" The cat-like youkai stalked off in a huff.

"Don't mess with anything in the spare room!" Shuuichi called after him. "I won't be held responsible if you trigger something you shouldn't!"

"Do I look like an amateur?" Natsume's companion called back.

"They get like that sometimes," Natsume said to bemused-looking Tanuma, not even trying to lower his voice, as he grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the couch, settling onto it like he belonged there.

"I still fail to understand how you get along with him," Shuuichi said as he set out the tea and settled into his usual seat. Natsume and Tanuma's hands were still joined, fingers interlaced. Shuuichi felt a rush of warmth at the sight, and at how … settled Natsume seemed.

Natsume shrugged. "Sensei grows on you."

"I'll take your word for that," Shuuichi said. "Now, what brings you here today? I _do_ have some more free tickets available –"

"Natori-san!"

"I wouldn't mind a couple," Tanuma said diffidently. At Natsume's look, he smiled shyly. "It could be … like a date, right?"

Blushing, Natsume smiled back, before looking back at Shuuichi. "You don't have to, though. I mean. You've done so much already."

"Don't worry about it, they'll just sit around gathering dust otherwise. But I assume that's not why you came?"

"… Right." Natsume straightened. "Will you – if there are exorcist things you can teach me, about how to protect myself. Would you be willing to teach me?"

"To teach us?" Tanuma asked, quieter but no less determined. He smiled wryly. "At least as much as you can?"

 _I'll ask about youkai next time._

Shuuichi smiled. "I would love to."


End file.
